Is the Holocaust unique? : perspectives on comparative genocide / edited and with an introduction by Alan S. Rosenbaum ; with a foreword by Israel W. Charny.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rosenbaum, Alan S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Historiography.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945).

Historiography.

Genocide.

Physical Description:

xix, 304 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Boulder, Colo. : Westview Press, 2001.

Summary:

Evaluating the Jewish Holocaust is by no means a simple matter, and one of the most controversial questions for academics is whether there have been any historical parallels for it. In this Second edition of the fiercely controversial is the Holocaust Unique?, distinguished scholars offer new discussions of this question. Presenting a wide range of strongly held views, they provide no easy consensus.

Some critics contend that if the Holocaust is seen as fundamentally different from other genocides or mass deaths, the suffering of other persecuted groups will be diminished. Others argue that Denying the uniqueness of the Holocaust will trivialize it. Alan Rosenbaum's introduction provides a much-needed context for readers to come to terms with this multidimensional dispute, to help them understand why it has recently intensified, and to enable them to appreciate what universal lessons might be gleaned from studying the Holocaust.

This volume makes an important contribution to our comprehension of one of the defining events of modern history. It should be essential reading for scholars, students, and general readers interested in the Holocaust and its relationship to other instances of politically inspired mass murder.

Contents:

1 The Ethics of Uniqueness / John K. Roth 21

2 Religion and the Uniqueness of the Holocaust / Richard L. Rubenstein 33

3 From the Holocaust: Some Legal and Moral Implications / Richard J. Goldstone 41

4 The Uniqueness of the Holocaust: The Historical Dimension / Steven T. Katz 49

5 Responses to the Porrajmos: The Romani Holocaust / Ian Hancock 69

6 The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Holocaust: A Comparative Analysis / Seymour Drescher 97

7 The Armenian Genocide as Precursor and Prototype of Twentieth-Century Genocide / Robert F. Melson 119

8 The Comparative Aspects of the Armenian and Jewish Cases of Genocide: A Sociohistorical Perspective / Vahakn N. Dadrian 133

9 Stalinist Terror and the Question of Genocide: The Great Famine / Barbara B. Green 169

10 The Holocaust and the Japanese Atrocities / Kinue Tokudome 195

11 Applying the Lessons of the Holocaust / Shimon Samuels 209

12 The Rise and Fall of Metaphor: German Historians and the Uniqueness of the Holocaust / Wulf Kansteiner 221

13 Uniqueness as Denial: The Politics of Genocide Scholarship / David E. Stannard 245.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0813336864

OCLC:

45024496